The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-18
PULvERIZED COAL.

Great Economy In Fuei-ANeged Gratifying
Success of Recent Experiments.
New York Evening Post.
Improved methods for obtaining artificial heat
are always subject of interest. and expert
ments in this direction are being made all the
time to get heat at as low cost possible. The
manufacture OF water gas has been very success
full and as it can be produced at low price,
without the nuisance of ashes and smoke 1t is
growing in favor and efforts are being made to
run it into houses to be used Cor heating as well
as for lighting purposes
Another method of heating, which is rapidly
making its way. if tho promoters Of it to be
believed, ID the pulverized coal process. A
company has been formed in Philadelphia
within q short time. and within the next sixty
days the process will be ready for general use.
The claims made for the method are many, and
be no doubt of its success. One Of the COM
pauy said to day: ''In this country there are
about ~, 100000 tons OF coal annually wasted,
being too fine for use OF the total coal mined.
it is estimated that one-eightn per cent. of
waste is made by blasting and handling; and
that six and fourth per cent. is wasted in the
breaker. Many attempts have been made to
utilize this immense amount of wastage, and
until now nothing has been successful.
Until now only q very small quantity OF this
fine dust mas been used. The requisites for sue
cess are first. simple and efficient machinery to
reduce the coal to dust at very small cost; Sec
ond. reduction to an fmpapable POWDER third,
an automatic supply of coal dust and air. each
capable of being regulated at will fourth the re-
duction of the coal and the simultaneous feed
ing of it with air into tho fre-box by the same
machine; fifth. the intimate mixture of the fine
particles OF coal dust with air. that each parti-
Gle shall be surrounded by air as it enters the
fre-box. thus insuring complete combustion.
''These conditions have been completely full
filed by a new process. The method Of using
the dust is as follows: The coal, no matter what
size it is is fed into pulverizer, by which it is
ground to an impalpable powder. This is done
by means of the friction of the particles. one
against the other After the coal is ground it
passes through the puiverlzer. and on coming
out it Is met by current of air from blower,
which sends 1t through a nozzle into the COM
bustion chamber underneath the boiler. This
combustion chamber has to be specially con-
structed, and will last about long as the ordi-
nary one where coal is used. The arch will last
a year. and the side walls two years The sup
ply of coal dust and air is automatically regu-
lated, and complete mbustion is the result No
smoke escapes from the chimney, aud there is no
loss of heat in that way. We feel confident that
at least 80 per cent OF fuel will be saved by
using the machines
In Philadelphia, the past month, experiments
have been made with this process in the Harri-
son Safety Boiler Works. and the engineer made
the statements that where /. 400 pounds Of coal
per day were used under a small boiler, at a cost
of So per ton, 900 pounds of dust were used at a
cost Of about ST. per ton. The machine for that
boiler only costs about $165, and he thinks there
is saving of at least so per cent The cost Of
repairs to the machine will not exceed $40 per
annum. One result of using the refuse coal
will be that the price of ordinary coal will have
to come down"